Sabah taking steps to check polio spread


KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will take immediate steps to stop the spread of polio following the first case in 27 years, in Tuaran about 40km from the state capital here.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said authorities were taking the case seriously, which was disclosed by the Health Ministry in Putrajaya on Sunday.

Mohd Shafie said he directed the state Health and People’s Well-being Ministry to work with the authorities to do whatever was necessary to contain the spread of the disease.

“We cannot take this lightly, we have to manage the situation carefully to ensure it does not spread to other districts,” he said after attending a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission dialogue on Integrity and Anti-Corruption with the Sabah government here yesterday.

The Chief Minister said he expected to get a full report on the polio case in Tuaran soon.“I hope all parents of newborns will ensure that their children are vaccinated,” he said.

On Sunday, Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said a three-month-old child was confirmed to have contracted the polio virus Type 1 (VDPV1) on Dec 6 this year.

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polio , poliomyelitis , Tuaran , Health Ministry

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